Smoking cessation outcomes with cytisine in Turkey : A retrospective cohort analysis of success rates and determinants

@article{topuz2026smoking,
  title = {{Smoking cessation outcomes with cytisine in Turkey : A retrospective cohort analysis of success rates and determinants}},
  author = {Ayşe Nur Topuz and Zeliha Yelda Özer and Sevgi Özcan and Hatice Kurdak and Hülya Binokay and Ayşe Turan and Nursel Akar and Özlem Olgunus and Gülsüm Tezçağırır and Çiğdem Erhan and Pelin Duru Çetinkaya},
  journal = {Medicine},
  year = {2026},
  month = oct,
  doi = {10.1097/md.0000000000051305},
  url = {https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13727188},
  note = {CC BY-NC},
}

TY  - JOUR
TI  - Smoking cessation outcomes with cytisine in Turkey : A retrospective cohort analysis of success rates and determinants
AU  - Ayşe Nur Topuz
AU  - Zeliha Yelda Özer
AU  - Sevgi Özcan
AU  - Hatice Kurdak
AU  - Hülya Binokay
AU  - Ayşe Turan
AU  - Nursel Akar
AU  - Özlem Olgunus
AU  - Gülsüm Tezçağırır
AU  - Çiğdem Erhan
AU  - Pelin Duru Çetinkaya
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/30
JO  - Medicine
DO  - 10.1097/md.0000000000051305
UR  - https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13727188
AB  - Background:: This study aimed to investigate the success rates and factors associated with smoking cessation outcomes among patients treated with cytisine, which has recently been administered in Turkey.  Methods:: This retrospective cohort study evaluated data from patients who received free cytisine treatment under the national tobacco control program at two smoking cessation centers between May and December 2024. Binary logistic and Cox regression analyses were used.  Results:: The mean age of the 236 patients was 42.13 ± 11.20 years, the mean Fagerström score was 8.64 ± 1.32, the mean smoking duration was 21.64 ± 11.61 years, the pack-year value was 28.84 ± 20.33, and the mean duration of cytisine treatment was 20.18 ± 8.19 days. At the six-month follow-up, the smoking cessation rate was 14.4%. Smoking duration (OR = 0.829, 95% CI: 0.691–0.996, P = .045), previous quit attempts (OR = 0.177, 95% CI: 0.034–0.934, P = .041), and cytisine treatment duration (OR = 1.207, 95% CI: 1.068–1.363, P = .002) were significantly associated with smoking cessation success. Using a cytisine value ≥ 25 as the reference category, participants with a value < 25 had a 71.9% lower hazard of smoking abstinence (HR = 0.281; 95% CI: 0.165–0.478; P < .001). Following adjustment for pack-year category, participants with a cytisine value < 25 had a 73.8% lower hazard of smoking abstinence than those with a value ≥ 25 (HR = 0.262; 95% CI: 0.154–0.448; P < .001). The overall effect of pack-year category was also statistically significant (P = .016). Compared with participants with 2–14 pack-years, the hazard of smoking abstinence was 34.1% lower among those with 15–35 pack-years (HR = 0.659; 95% CI: 0.442–0.984; P = .042) and 49.9% lower among those with > 35 pack-years (HR = 0.501; 95% CI: 0.312–0.806; P = .004).  Conclusion:: In this study, pack-years and duration of cytisine use were the primary factors associated with successful smoking cessation over six months. Additionally, the reported success rate for smoking cessation aligns with figures found in global literature, although it appears to be lower when compared to local studies. More research is needed to clarify the factors contributing to the significant variations in success rates reported across the literature.
SN  - 0304-5412
SN  - 1536-5964
SN  - 0025-7974
ER  -